Stanley Catron & Kaye Popp

"What better advice could we possibly leave for the aspiring Lindy Hopper? Lindy Hop is the one social dance we know of that is pretty much dedicated to the art of free expression and improvisation. You dance it your way, on your terms. Your feet are jazz instruments, your body a mobile big band. You have so much creative power at your fingertips that you owe it to yourself to Lindy like nobody has Lindy Hopped before."

~ Peter & Vida from Australia!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Thanksgiving is perhaps one of our most meaningful American holidays, as it gives us all a chance to reflect on the quality of our lives. So please let me, once again, say how thankful I am that I am able to do what I do for a living -- and that is thanks to all of you. Thank you for being such friendly, wonderful, welcoming people. Thank you for always having a smile on your face and a song in your heart. Thank you for making a "family" for all of us.

Oftentimes, people will comment how lucky I am for doing what a love for a living. I want you to know that it is even more than that. Dancing has always been my favorite hobby and one of the things in my life that gives me the greatest happiness (I don't have to explain the reasons why to any of you!).

But my greatest passion is to try to make this world a little better place upon which to live. From the get-go, I have always felt that swing dancing, in it's small way, helps to accomplish this. How? So many ways. The music is "happy" and uplifting. The activity itself is such a rush that we all experience a wonderful release of endorphins. We get exercise and feel better as a result. But most importantly, It brings people together, people who might otherwise be sitting home alone. It offers people human contact in an otherwise sterile lifestyle. It creates community.

Every week at the Rhythm Club, there are moments when I almost start to weep. I'm looking out at all of you on the dance floor and visiting on the sidelines. I see smiles on your faces, I see interaction, I hear laughter, and this is all as a result of this little thing I "do for a living".

So you see, it is more than you thought. Through this thing I "do for a living" I get to do my favorite hobby AND my passion. Thank you. And my best wishes to you for a happy Thanksgiving.

RHYTHM PAL RON CAMPBELL HAVING A BABY!

That's right! Our very own Rhythm Pal Ron Campbell is at Torrance Memorial Hospital with his beautiful wife Robin, awaiting the arrival of their first child (a lead). Wish them all the best! We'll let you know the minute the little fellow arrives.

NEW SERIES -- NOT TOO LATE TO JOIN!

FEATURED CLASS - MORE LINDY STYLING!

Lindy Styling has been just too much fun not to continue. And there's still so much more to cover. If you weren't in the series, come along and join this new one! We'd love to have you along with us.

Each week we look at some archival dance clips, some modern swing dance clips, do some rhythm exercises, musicality exercises and work on concepts for opening out your dancing. It's been a great series so far. Don't miss this last series of 2003!

HOLIDAY GIFT CERTIFICATES!

British Pathe Imagine if you will, seventy-five years of newsreel archives. Imagine if you will that you could look at this archive. Imagine if you will that you could look at images from EVERY frame of these newsreels (12 million frames). Your dream has come true. Just recently British Pathe loaded everything up for you!!! So do a search under "jitterbug" and see what comes up.

* Wondering
what the heck a "gate"is? This was a phrase popularized by 1940's comedian,
Jerry Colonna, who would holler it out every time he was introduced on the
Bob Hope radio program. It was a friendly salutation to a swing cat (dancer
or swing music enthusiast).

Our Swing Shift Rhythm Club (SSRC) is the volunteer arm of our local swing dance community. Through the SSRC, we visit senior homes, children hospitals, and entertain and dance at street fairs. The purpose of the club is to do some good deeds and promote the fun of swing dancing.

Anyone can join the club. The events are varied, and purely volunteer in nature. You'll get a notice through the SSRC Yahoo Group website of upcoming events, and you can chose which one(s) you'd like to attend.